US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE2894

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002894 
 
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STATE FOR EUR/UBI/HOLLIDAY AND G/DOBRIANSKY 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO EPA FOR ADMINISTRATOR LEAVITT 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS 
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ/JAMES CONNAUGHTON 
ENERGY FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY MCSLARROW 
TANSPORTATION FOR TYLER DUVALL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ENRG, PREL, NL 
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER: DUTCH ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY'S 
WASHINGTON MEETINGS 
 
 
1.  Summary:  Dutch State Secretary for the Environment 
Pieter van Geel will travel to Washington November 15 to meet 
with USG energy and environment officials.  He wants to 
explore possible next steps for a broad, post-Kyoto dialogue 
on climate change.  His vision for future climate change 
discussions includes IFIs, development banks, and donor 
country finance and development agencies and their developing 
country counterparts.  In Washington the environment 
secretary will also raise clean energy partnerships and 
 
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research, the Montreal Protocol, and sustainable mobility. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  State Secretary for the Environment Pieter van Geel will 
be traveling to Washington November 15 to discuss with 
Washington officials the possibility of a new dialogue with 
developed and developing countries that looks beyond the 
Kyoto Protocol.   His schedule is as follows: 
 
November 15, 2004 
11:00-11:30     James Connaughton, Chairman of the Council 
                on Environmental Quality 
13:00-13:45     Andrew Natsios, USAID Administrator 
14:00-15:00     Mike Leavitt, EPA Administrator 
15:30-16:30     Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy 
16:45-17:30     Paula Dobriansky, U/S of State for Global 
                Affairs. 
 
3.  Van Geel told the embassy he wants to explore next steps 
for managing climate change.  With Russian ratification of 
the protocol, van Geel believes now is the time to begin a 
discussion on climate change that both goes beyond the Kyoto 
Protocol, and involves developing and developed country 
emitters that are not participating. 
 
4.  Van Geel seeks to involve IFIs and development banks, as 
well as donor and developing countries' finance, economic and 
development ministries in discussions on next steps to curb 
climate change.  He is looking for ways developed countries 
can encourage, and where necessary, incent developing 
countries to adopt more environmentally sustainable mobility, 
energy, manufacturing and natural resource management. 
 
5.  In addition to exploring the next steps for a global 
dialogue on climate change, in Washington the environment 
secretary will likely raise the Montreal Protocol on methyl 
 
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bromide, vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency standards, 
renewable energy research, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell 
cars, and the International Partnership for a Hydrogen 
Economy (IPHE) and Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum 
(CSLF) with appropriate USG officials.  Van Geel has told us 
the Dutch intend to join the IPHE and CSLF as soon as 
possible. 
 
6.  Comment: Van Geel is an honest and cooperative 
interlocutor.  He is a pragmatist who understands the U.S. 
position on Kyoto and our continued commitment to curbing 
climate change. Van Geel is respected and outspoken among his 
EU colleagues.  In their meetings with van Geel, Washington 
officials have an opportunity to take useful soundings and to 
influence him on our vision for global climate change 
cooperation.  In return, van Geel, in typical Dutch fashion, 
is likely to speak plainly about what he judges is doable and 
what is not, and the direction these discussions are taking 
in the EU context.  End Comment. 
SOBEL